for "born-ins" (page 3)

holly_golightly

I was never really scared, but definitely felt guilty all the time. I knew I didn't want to be a Witness, but at the same time I still believed in Jehovah. A pretty big conflict in the mind for a five year old to have ...

MeneMene

Born in from 1948. My father was always busy with congregation chores so my mother was the one that did all the punishment. I received the pinch & twist for not sitting still and paying attention at meetings. If I was too restless, I was taken outside and beat. I remember one time she was beating me outside the front of the hall and a lady coming in stopped and asked if she could help. I always wondered if she wanted to help beat me or if she wanted to stop my mother. Those beatings were something that took place often as I just had a hard time being still for long at the time (still do).

As far as persecution goes, my worst fear I remember is having my finger nails pulled out with pliers. For some reason I also remember being very afraid of the KKK. I don't remember why that fear was so strong. Perhaps because we liked black people or perhaps because we were suposed to be 'spiritual Jews'. The congregations were still segregated when I was young but the conventions were integrated. I remember times after the meeting my dad would need to go to the black congregation to take some paperwork or something. He always left us out in the car when he went inside.

I remember seeing the pictures on TV of all the dead bodies piled up the Nazi's had killed. It was all relevent to us because that was what was going to happen to all of us JWs.

What a terrible way to grow up.

gloobster

"My Book of Bible Stories" is heavily engrained in most of my earliest memories. I remember the picture of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt, and the picture of the destruction of Jerusalem. The picture of Jezebel. What horrible pictures to show little children. That, and all the pictures of Jesus make him look like some sort of child molester. Especially in the story about how Jesus likes little children. All the pictures in that book were absolutely awful from a psychological standpoint. And from an artistic standpoint.

I always felt so ashamed to be a Witness. Even as a small child, I felt like it was a dirty little secret that I couldn't tell my schoolmates.

amama2six

Oh man...fingernails pulled off, bamboo being shoved up under the nails, branding irons, things being put in womanly parts (and the other end too), appendages being cut off, blood-sucking creatures attached to your flesh or put into fresh wounds, chemicals poured into fresh wounds, infection, eyeball torture techniques, gassing, beatings, rape, etc. etc. etc. All things I was scared to death would happen to me in "the end"...not to mention watching the same happen to my loved ones and fellow "brothers and sisters". I just KNEW I would cave and not make it to Paradise...that I'd end up fleeing to the hills, hiding in a cave, and having Jehovah know where I was no matter where I hid. I imagined being crushed by a mass of boulders being thrust upon me in his wrath.

mustang

Specifically being made to listen to graphic accounts of whatever country that was going through horrific persecution. (Or any other horrors you might remember)

Like water off a ducks back: DEAL WITH WHAT IS REAL, not what could be. I sat through those and gradually got bored and planned WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO.

(I never worried abut the A-Bomb, either.)

Frankly, the way you have to handle it is a) what's for you and b) what is for real. It helps to have your own agenda. If yuou figure that out early, all you have to do is wait it out. I learned that from the stuff they tried to push down your throat.

XJW4EVR

I don't know if I have blocked all this stuff out of my memory or what, but I don't recall having the traumatic issues that so many of you have experienced. I had my share of spankings. I remember the Paradise book and My Book of Bible Stories (I never thought Jesus looked like a child molestor, though he did bear a striking resemblance to Adam).

While I was saddend to hear of the persecution of JWs in other lands, I do not recall obsessing over their plight. Nor do I recall picturing those things happening to my family or myself. I do not discount that those things happened. I had a good friend that suffered from reoccurring nightmares that had the literature of the WTS as the cause.

mustang

Sometimes my answers surprise me, when I think back.

But what did bother me was dealing with meeting my classmates (when I met them in FS) and what they would say or do when school started its next sessions. That eventually worked itself out when they started calling me "preacher". That evolved into a kind of "standoff equilibrium".

I was the first JW in the whole county to attend grade schools. I had real trouble with the flag salute thing. The issue had barely been throguh the courts and my parents had to educate/threaten the principal with legal action.

I never tried to witness to any of the other kids, just worked to carve out my own niche and comfort zone. That included developing a long term friend. Another couple of guys (2 brothers) that were loners because they were American Indians came to my aid once when I was picked on by bullies.

(Then I ACCIDENTALLY gave the leader of one of the gang of toughs a bloody nose!!! Total accident, I swear!!! He didn't hold it against me and told the rest to leave me alone. With my one friend and the Indian brothers around, the big groups just gave all of of us loners a wide berth.)

I never thought about JW stuff, once I was away from it. That was even though my father was a servant and started the dang congo.

It's main effect was to separate me from most of the other kids and activities. Dealing with Holidays was a major pain and that further drove in a wedge.

Mustang

MinisterAmos

Yeah well I decided enough was enough after the "Oral Sex" talk last March I think it was?

Took my kid away from them and I continue to urge every other parent in the Hall to compare the actions of the FDS with that of Christ.

The JWs would all gladly home-school their kids to keep them away from any mention of sex, yet they subject the VERY young ones to graphic examples of the very things they profess to hate.

(They don't home-school them because they get free breakfast and lunch in the public schools)

jaguarbass

I remember sitting through those boring meetings from the time I was concious.

Malawi was a place the witnesses often talked about. They were torturing and persecuting the witnesses there because they would not register to vote. That was back in 67.

Mickey mouse

Yes, I remember having terrible nightmares about being put in concentration camps after graphic descriptions at meetings.

I was a young child during the "Malawi troubles" and remember hearing such horrible torture being discussed as I wouldn't even want to repeat here amongst adults. How unbelievably irresponsible to disregard children's psychological wellbeing in such a way.

for "born-ins"

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